4/19/10
6:55 a.m.
We went on a fox hunt yesterday afternoon.
Eric, Sadie, our boss and his son kind of went looking for a fox, but in the process saw the pigs’ pasture in the back field and did find some fox poop.
* * *
We ate some really yummy mashed potatoes last night and then watched the documentary we rented. This morning we woke up to a frost . I realize I am in a nasty mood because I really need a shower. I gave Sadie a full sponge bath with water flowing over her to rinse. I was jealous.
Anyway, Eric had a dream about Chloe Sevigny. Apparently, he truly believes that not only did she have a dime-sized tattoo of a monarch butterfly, but that she also had the exact same dream at the exact same time. I will research further if I care to remember. Off to make my muddy coffee and eat some breakfast before chores.
4/19/10
8:30 p.m.
I am tired!
Today I went in to let the hens and rooster out of their house and much to my dismay, one of the hens was slumped over bleeding with other hens pecking at her. I immediately shooed the other hens, yelled to my boss, and she came in and explained that the hens must have been fighting over food.
She then snapped the hens’ neck and ripped the head off.
(This woman is hardcore).
We knew what we were having for supper tonight.
Later, we spread black plastic for soon-to-be plants… Oh, and I almost forgot…I gave the piglets booster shots in their butts. Eric claimed he was just letting me shine, but I think he was squeamish.
After chores tonight I got to take my first real shower. I feel so much better. Then we cooked the chicken breast and had dinner. The chicken was pretty gross and I felt super bad because I was sad about the chicken being murdered by her housemates and then I thought she tasted like shit.
Tomorrow it is off to Damariscotta with the head lady, but of course my car is messed up right now. My damn car battery died because Eric and Sadie left the dome light on.
Thankfully, someone is going to jump in tomorrow.
4/20/10
7:30p.m.
I made red lentils with rice tonight. I cooked the rice incorrectly, it tasted crappy.
We went into town this morning. We went to this great co-op grocery store and then ran other errands including sing-along/story time at the library, which Sadie really enjoyed. It was a lot of running around, but good to see what else is going on in that area. We also went to a place called “Chicken John’s.” There were baby goats and they were so cute…all the kids wanted kids. My boss helped deliver one of the kids and as payment the goat is now named after him.
Lastly, we went to a lumber yard to get wood to build a pig shelter.
Eric hung back at the farm and I have to say, I am so proud of him because he did all the chores by himself and he put out more plastic on his own. I have a feeling he sincerely enjoyed the solitude.
During chores tonight we met out boss’s father. He was very nice and very knowledgeable. After chores we met a young couple who are starting a farm on the male’s families’ land about three miles down the road. They were rad and I guess they have five other people crashing in their living room working on getting shit started. I hope we hang out with them soon. I’d love to make some good friends while we are up here.
4/21/10
1:15 p.m.
So after chores and three hours of putting down plastic for vegetables, I am attempting to bake two loaves of bread. I just kneaded the dough 600 times, as the book ordered and am patiently waiting for it to rise. I can’t wait to see how this turns out…
4/21/10
8:00 p.m.
The oven in the cabin does not work. This is an enormous disappointment, but I will bring my loaves to the boss’s and finally bake my bread.
Today, there was another, more traumatic event; Sadie burned her leg on the construction light we use to light up the cabin. Well actually, she did it a couple of days ago, but it seemed fine until today… The blister fell off leaving her skin to be just raw. I knew that Sadie needed a bandage, a big one to be exact, but where do I get one???
There are not any CVSs’ or any other pharmacies here and there, so I try the nearest health center, which is still six miles away. Sadie and I drive there and the receptionist is very pleasant. Unfortunately, the office manager is an asshole and tells me to go to Sadie’s doctor and they can not even spare a bandage. By this time it is nearly five, so I just head back to the farm and I have to decide if I should just go to a drug store that is about 15 miles away or take Sadie to the ER which is even further. Eric calls Sadie’s doctor and gets a kind, triage nurse. She tells us to just go for the bandage. I head to the drug store, which is in Gardiner, Maine and realize I have to get gas before I can go any further. At this gas station there is delicious smelling pizza, but I have the will power to just keep trekking and resist the urge to be seduced by the sweets smells of PIZZA. We finally get to the store, get bandages, then head home.
Sadie and I arrive home to catch the end of wheat planting. I then make tofu, pasta, and broccoli for dinner. Eric doesn’t want to do the dishes or make a fire eventhough he promised to wash the dishes and he knows that my throat hurts and think I am getting sick. It will only be in the high 30’s tonight!
I obviously get pissed off, but instead of handling it well I pull the classic, “Kristine move,” and flip out. In the end, I wash the dishes and Eric builds a fire. Fair enough.
4/22/10
3:50 p.m.
Thunderstorm!!!
Well so far it is only thundering and lightning with dark grey skies, but the rain is supposedly coming soon.
It is definitely apparent that Eric does not want to be here and it has only been a week. I say this because he is treating me like S-H-I-T and that is typically code for Eric is not happy.
When Eric ain’t happy ain’t nobody happy!
Today we laid two rows of plastic and then headed to Augusta, ME to go thrift store shopping. We also went to get Eric a driver’s education booklet, so he could start studying for his driver’s test. While doing these errands we found a Pizza Hut and there was a $5 per person all-you-can buffet. I was seduced. It was good, but gross ha! I really thought this would cheer Eric up…it didn’t.
We then headed to a playground for Sadie to burn off some energy and then back to the farm to work on the new pig shelter. Once we were back in the cabin there was not much to do, so the arguing continued. Man, does this suck!
4/22/10
6:22 p.m.
I suffer from depression, just a random fact about me… No, it is actually not random in this scenario, it is very essential. I have come to realize that a week has gone by and I don’t know if farm living is the life for me. We have been having fun and working hard, but am I just not cut out for this sort of thing?
This question ran around my brain for quite a bit this evening. Sadie was asleep, so Eric went and did chores, while I stayed back, intending to do some reading. I read a little, but mostly just cried.
There are so many challenges up here; no running water, limited electricity, no indoor plumbing/bathroom, a wood stove for heat (which I can’t start a fire in for the life of me), miles between us and any stores, lots of hard work, no internet, and only a couple of movies to watch here and there.
Am I just too attached to modern conveniences? Am I just a wage slave? A capitalist? Am I just a norm who should be living a normal point A to point B lifestyle?
We have only been here for a week and I am already at a crossroads. Maybe if I can just get over this cold and Sadie can stop getting hurt everyday things won’t seem so difficult…
4/23/10
6:30 a.m.
Woke up still feeling sick, but willing to work through things until I get better; it turns out the bread I made, while super dense, doesn’t taste half-bad. The 3 year-old boy, gave me his mark of approval with his catch-phrase of, “It’s pretty good!”
It’s kind of chilly out today. It seems either too hot or too cold and never just right. Oh well, looks like we will all be bundling up today.
4/24/10
2:30 p.m.
AS I said yesterday, it is either too hot or too cold, never in between. Today the sun is hotttt! The weird thing is, though, is that the temperature does not seem to be reading any warmer than yesterday. I must be losing my mind.
We went to Damariscotta after chores this morning. That town is our sanctuary. I officially put the blog up today (yay!). Too bad I only had time for half of the first entry. The blog is not in real time, which defeats the purpose of a blog I guess, but it’s more of a journal anyway.
I bought some allergy medicine for I what I believe is actually allergies and not a cold. We went to a family day event at the YMCA and I got a GRE book to start studying (yay… kinda).
We finished laying out the last two rows of plastic in the field down the road. Ten rows done! Eric says I should feel accomplished. I am trying to, but the shitty thing is… I am not.
4/24/10
7:00 p.m.
I walked out on chores today.
First, I was attacked by the rooster and then kind of attacked by a pig. I knew I was going to start bawling my eyes out, so I left. I came back to the cabin because I felt like shit, wanted to just cry, and want desperately to pack up my shit and leave. I wasn’t seeing the point of staying somewhere where I was not enjoying myself and as I Sadie before, had no running water, limited electricity, limited heat, lots of hard work, and no internet.
Eric came back from chores and talked to me about stuff. He made a good point… recently, I have been starting things and then just quitting because it doesn’t work out right away. He suggested that instead, I need to stick things out and see how they go for longer than a week, two weeks, or even a year in some cases.
Again, while I am pretty frustrated because I lack the physical and emotional strength that I desperately need right now, I am going to keep on keepin’ on.
4/25/10
2:50 p.m.
We got visitors!!!
Ryan and Sarah, friends from Boston came up. Ryan will be going to school in Unity College in Unity, Maine in August and Sarah is originally from Maine. Unity is about an hour from here.
It was so great to see them. I miss my friends.
They helped us transplant plum trees and then we went to a topless coffee shop in Vassalboro, ME. They would not even let Sarah in because she had left her ID back at the farm, so there was no way Sadie would be allowed into the shop. Sarah agreed to stay in the car with a sleeping Sadie while Eric, Ryan and I checked out the place.
We had to show our IDs through a little peep hole and then were allowed to proceed through the door. I got a coffee, Eric a hot cocoa, and Ryan a decaffeinated tea. Ryan attempted to start up a conversation with the topless lady, but after that didn’t go well, we just decided to leave.
Ryan and Sarah had to get back to Boston, so they left and I helped plant the new plum trees.
So far we have spent about $500 and it has been nine days, with no money coming in, we shall see how long this lasts.
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